Dreams That Can't Be Real
by Dreamwind1
Summary: My own characters mostly. Girl somehow gets trapped in the Valdamar reality, but not in a typical form! OOOOH.... I have merged the chapters and add to them, you just have to keep reading!
1. In the beginning

Title: Dreams That Can't Be Real  
Author: Dreamwind  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for a few, including the main character. I am simply borrowing for my own mindless fun. Please don't sue; I have nothing of any value, so it would be a pointless endeavor.   
Author's Note: I am taking some liberties with this story. I have a character who is a friend of Mereceds Lackey who some readers might recognize from the books.  
// text for a book // *thoughts* :: Dreams ::  
  
  
Anne walked through the darkly lit room of her apartment, easily weaving around familiar obstacles. Another night of dreams filled with screaming and laughter had woken her long before dawn. It had become a familiar routine for her. She would go to bed listening to her J-Pop CD's and wake up around one in the morning. Knowing that trying to return to sleep was futile she had grabbed a book from her bookshelf and walked out the door of her bedroom and into her small front room. Finding her favorite beat up old chair she dropped herself in it and switched on the light before opening her book. She had read this book a million times, just like she had every other book in the series. It didn't even matter anymore which she pulled out; she knew them all by heart. These books were her best friends; they had never deserted her like so many people had. They were what kept her going on days when she felt more of her inner-self wasting away into nothingness.  
  
Anne ran her fingers over the cover of the book. Tracing the outline of the dark haired youth tightly clinging to his white companion. Her fingers watched the cover even as her eyes read the title, "Magic's Pawn". Opening the book to a random page she began to read.   
// Savil brooded, rocking back and fourth on her heels. "He can't see any reason to use those powers. He doesn't want to help anyone, all he wants now is to be left alone."  
Starwind looked aghast. "But - so strong - how can he not -"  
"He hasn't got the hunger yet, shayana, or if he's got it, everything else he's feeling has so overwhelmed him that all he can register is his own pain." //  
  
Lightning lit up Anne's window, startling her enough for her to drop her beloved book. For a long moment Anne sat there staring out the window at the darkness. Seconds stretched into minutes, minutes stretched out longer and longer until nearly an hour passed with her staring out into the darkness. Anne waited for the storm to light up the night, to banish the darkness. Finally, when no more lightning lit up the sky, Anne picked up her book and headed into her small kitchen. Some hot cocoa would send some warmth into the cold the dread that had slowly seeped into her bones. Then she could return to her friends again. They would keep her company until dawn broke, and the darkness was held at bay.  
// His head hurt, and his burned hands, but not so much as the empty place inside him, or the guilt - the terrible guilt.  
'Lendel, 'Lendel - my fault.  
He heard someone breathing beside him; a Mindtouch confirmed that it was Moondance. He did not want to talk with anyone right now; he just wanted to be left alone. //  
  
Light danced across the floor, slowly inching it's way to where Anne sat. She let her eyes stray from the pages of her book and follow the light as it climbed over the few pieces of furniture she had until the whole room was filled with it's soft healing warmth. She was safe now. Her friends had kept her safe from the dreams that hide in the dark recesses of her mind once again. Now it was up to her to keep herself safe from the shadows that waited at the edge of the light.  
  
Sighing, Anne stood up and walked back to her bedroom. It was time to shower and get dressed. She would have to go to work soon.  
  
***  
  
Work passed in a dull roar in Anne's brain. She felt empty here, like she didn't need to be whole to complete her job. She simply went on autopilot taking people's orders and helping them pick out which mats and frames they wanted. Picture framing wasn't a bad job. Her boss was very pleasant and she got good hours. It was so much better than her last job. Anne shuddered as she thought back to that time.  
  
Her boss had been an overweight, middle aged man with thinning hair and roaming hands. He had made her work every night from 7 to 2 in the morning. Anne hated the night. There were things hiding in the dark of night that weren't there during the day, things that were waiting for her to make a mistake so that they could claim her.   
  
Anne shook her head to banish the returning memories. Those were not times that she wished to remember. In fact she wished that she could banish them from her memory altogether. A tiny bell jingled by the front door and Anne turned to look at the approaching customer. Walking in was an older woman with graying hair that had probably once been a deep chestnut color, a face that looked like it belonged on a horse, and biceps that looked like they were bigger than Sylvester Stalone's. This woman was diffently not like the normal customers Anne had waited on before. This woman practically rippled with energy, it made the hair on Anne's arms stand on end like a frightened cats.   
  
"How can I help you, Ma'am?"  
  
"Well, I have a poster here that I would like to get framed."  
  
"Okay. What kind of frame would you like? A metal or a wooden frame?"  
  
"Metal I think." The woman unrolled the poster. "Yes, a metal frame would be best I think."  
  
Anne recognized the poster at once. It was the cover picture from the newest novel by her favorite authoress. She couldn't help but stair, the poster was autographed! The woman smiled at her.  
  
"She is a wonderful authoress, isn't she?"  
  
Anne nodded excitedly. "She's my absolute favorite! How did you get an autographed poster of the cover of her newest book?"  
  
The woman smiled and watched as Anne's hand hovered over the signature. "She's a good friend of mine."  
  
Anne's head snapped up and she looked at the middle-aged woman in utter surprise. "You know Mercedes Lackey?! Really!"  
  
"Yes. You might say I'm her muse."  
  
After that the day seemed to be rather dull in comparison. Anne couldn't get her meeting with the old woman out of her head. She knew the woman from somewhere but where, she wasn't sure. Sighing Anne pushed the button for the third floor on the rusty, beat-up old elevator in her apartment building. The elevator made a loud wheezing clank and lurched to life, nearly throwing Anne off her feet.  
  
"Why do I keep using this machine? It's practically on its last legs. In fact if it was a horse, I'd shoot it to put it out of its misery." Anne leaned her head on the metal cage railings of the elevator and watched the floors slowly pass by her until the elevator stopped with a jarring lurch.   
  
An old woman with thinning gray hair and hunched back smiled at Anne as she stepped out of the elevator. "Oh, honey, you shouldn't use that rusted old thing. It's going to fall apart soon." The old woman shook her head and opened the door to her apartment. "Nope, that contraption just isn't safe. Nice girl like you, it'd be a shame to see you hurt because of that thing." The old woman continued to mutter as she entered her own apartment and closed the door on Anne.  
  
Anne fished for her keys in her pocket and finding them opened the door to her small apartment and walked in. Closing the door behind her Anne went through her normal rituals of welcoming herself home. She slipped off her shoes and replaced them with the sheepskin slippers, the one luxury besides her books that she had, hung up her coat and went to her tiny bedroom. Standing in her doorway, Anne looked at the warm and comforting bedroom and felt safe just as she always did. Another day of surviving on her own, without the shadows catching her as she knew they would.   
  
Anne flopped down onto the hard mattress and pulled her ragged old teddy bear to her chest. Visions of monstrous shadows had been plaguing Anne more and more often. She knew they were going to get her soon, but what the shadow was, who it was, and why it wanted her still eluded Anne. They were dreams she told herself. It didn't work anymore, she knew that that was a lie. They weren't just dreams, they were something more.   
  
:: Anne stood alone, she was in a hallway that seemed to stretch on for a greater distance than she could see. Turning around Anne saw the shadows coming out of the darkness behind her, swallowing the hallway whole. Anne ran as fast as she could. The walls around her screamed and seemed to bulge out with the faces and hands of her neighbors. Anne was grabbed by one of the arms stretching out of the walls, Anne screamed as a face appeared next to the arms.  
  
"Oh, God, oh please! Let me go!" Anne screamed.  
  
Yanking her arm out of its socket and Anne stumbled and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. Pain shoot up and down her arm and Anne tried not to cry as she ran. Soon the hallway opened up before her and a black elevator stood open before her. Anne rushed inside, slamming the gate shut behind her just as the shadows engulfed the rest of the hallway. Anne collapsed to the floor and sobbed as the shadows began to sallow the elevator whole. The elevator lurched and suddenly Anne was falling... ::  
  
Anne sat bolt upright in her bed. Her sheets were soaked with her sweat and felt as cold as death, even under all the blankets. Drawing her knees up to her chest Anne laid her head on her knees and sobbed. It was that dream again, a dream of shadows and darkness. When her tears were dried up and she could cry no more Anne reached for the book by her beside. It was the same one she had been looking through last night, "Magic's Price." Anne opened the book to a passage of the story that flashed before her memory.   
// "-I know it was a stupid thing to do, to run off like that, but-" Vanyel shrugged. "I won't make any excuses. I've been doing a lot of stupid things lately. I wasn't thinking."  
  
"Well, don't be too hard on yourself. ForeSight dreams have a way of doing that to people," Savil said, crossing her legs and settling back on her stool beside the hearth. "They tend to get you on the boil and then lock up your ability to think. You wouldn't be the first to go charging off in some wild-hare direction after waking up with one, and you probably won't be the last. No, thank you, Megan," //  
  
"ForeSight... Is that what my dreams are, premonitions of things to come?" Anne began to shake and gripped her teddy bear tight to her chest. "Oh, god...please let them just be nightmares. I don't want to die." The rain came down in loud torrents outside Anne's window as she curled up in her bed and cried.   
  
***  
  
The next two days passed in a haze for Anne. Every shadow seemed to hold her doom. She was so afraid that she was tempted not to leave her house. To just stay safely inside, hidden under her blankets with her books and her teddy bear. She couldn't though. She knew that if she did nothing would change and that she would spend the rest of her life afraid. She didn't want that. Besides, she wanted to go back to work. Maybe that old woman would come in again and she could ask her some more about Mercedes Lackey, the Heralds, and all the other wonderful characters that seemed so real to Anne.  
  
Forcing herself out of the bed Anne went about her morning routine of pulling out her cloths, bathing, getting dressed and eating breakfast. * Scrambled eggs and ham on toast, yum yum. * After rinsing the dishes off, Anne grabbed her wreck of a coat and headed out of her apartment and down the road to work. Again she began to feel the fear creep up on her as she walked down the road. She didn't like the idea of having to walk the four miles to work. Some many things could happen on the way. What would she be able to do if she was attacked? Nothing really. She had to admit to that. Sure she had taken some martial arts classes at the college but that was two years ago. Even with that knowledge she wasn't stupid. It was likely that her attacker would be strong and heavier than her.  
  
"I've got to stop thinking about this."  
  
A car honked its horn as it drove by and Anne caught the sight of a young man with his head out the window making provocative gestures. Another reason why walking to work sucked. Fortunately by that time Anne was at the entrance to the parking lot and it was only a few feet to her work. As she opened the door the electronic bell went off. The cat, who lived in the shop meowed and trotted up to her. Squatting down Anne picked up the sphinx cat known as Ramsey. Again he meowed, this time begging for her to scratch him. * Egotistical little cat. * Anne chuckled. The cat was perfectly named and he knew it. He was the little Pharaoh of the shop. Whenever a customer came in who had been here before they always asked where Ramsey was. It was like a drug, they just had to pet, coo and talk to the cat.  
  
"Alright, Ramsey, I have to get to work." Anne set Ramsey down on the counter out front. "You can bother the customers instead."  
  
Hours passed and it was soon time to close up shop. The day had been a good one. Several large orders had come in and several more were picked up. Ramsey, as usual had followed her all around the shop, jumping up on her work, knocking over piles of mats and just being himself. Of course the customers loved him and spoiled him rotten when they came in. All accept one, the old woman. Ramsey had taken one look at her and knew that he had to be a proper gentleman; otherwise the woman would probably step on his tail. Anne had been overjoyed to see the woman again, and managed to get her to spend two hours talking with her in the shop. Anne didn't know why but she trusted the woman more than she had any other person. She had even told the woman about her dream. The woman had smiled and said it sounded like something Mercedes would write. That had been a complement to Anne.  
  
Now however, the woman was gone. The shop was closing and Anne was left alone. Her boss had gone home roughly an hour ago and left Anne to clean up. It wasn't that hard and Anne didn't mind in general. She wasn't quite sure about taking Ramsey home with her though. She could understand why her boss didn't want the cat in the shop when the painters came to redo the walls. She also understood the bosses other cats seemed to hate poor Ramsey. Probably because they could tell he had an ego as big as Firesong did in the winds trilogy. So now she was stuck with the cat, and the smelly litter box. * Oh well, it could be worse. He could be a large dog. *  
  
"Come on Ramsey, you get to go home with me tonight."   
  
The bell chimed again as Anne and the cat left, locking the door behind them. It would be a long walk home, especially since she now had to carry Ramsey and his litter box. * Well I'll never get home if I just stand around out here. Besides I'd rather be home before dark. * The walk was long and cold; the wind came in blowing with all its Fall fierceness. It seemed to stay locked onto Anne's neck the entire way home, and for some reason the cold didn't bother Anne as much as it usually did. It was weird how it made her suddenly feel safe and whole. * Probably just normal for anyone born in Washington in the middle of winter. *   
  
Anne made it to her apartment building and slowly made her way towards the staircase at the back. She preferred to take the stairs, the elevator was old and looked like it had lived through one to many decades. Unfortunately, it seemed that the stairs were blocked off. A small cord of rope stretched across the stairwell blocking entrance. From it hung a sign. It read: Stairs iced over. Take elevator. * Great. * Anne thought. * Just what I really need. To get inside an elevator that's older than I am, and that has been plaguing my nightmares for days. Yeah, I'm feeling good about this. * Ramsey squirmed in her arms, picking up her distressed feelings. Animals were good at that. They always knew what a person was feeling. They made the perfect lie detectors. "Don't worry, Ramsey. This old thing will get us safely upstairs."  
  
Anne closed the gate, locking Ramsey and herself inside. Her dream flashed before her eyes.   
:: Yanking her arm out of its socket and Anne stumbled and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. Pain shoot up and down her arm and Anne tried not to cry as she ran. Soon the hallway opened up before her and a black elevator stood open before her. Anne rushed inside, slamming the gate shut behind her just as the shadows engulfed the rest of the hallway. Anne collapsed to the floor and sobbed as the shadows began to sallow the elevator whole. The elevator lurched and suddenly Anne was falling... :: The cat box dropped from her hands and Ramsey clung to her chest, his claws digging through her shirt. The elevator lurched upwards, the floors slowly falling below them as the elevator rose to the six floor.   
  
"Look Ramsey, we made it safely up to my floor." Her voice was breathless and trembling.  
  
Anne reached for the handle to open the door. Before her hand touched it the lights went off and the building was plunged into darkness. Thunder and howling winds beckoned from beyond the building. Terror rose up in Anne's throat. This was it, the end. The elevator made a loud metallic screech as the old cable wires finally snapped. Plunging Anne and Ramsey back towards the hard cement floor below.  
  
***  
  
"Anne. Open your eyes, Anne."  
  
Slowly Anne opened her eyes. "Am I dead?"  
  
"Yes. Do not fear though, I am here with you."  
  
"Shinigami?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I don't understand." Anne looked at the man who had said he was Shinigami. He was beautiful. He had pale cream skin and wide violent eyes. Chestnut bangs hung into his eyes and went back in a long braid, ending just above his butt. She was dressed in black with a white priests collar.(1) Hmmm, he gave her a strong sense of déjà vu. Just another thing she didn't understand. One moment she and her bosses cat were falling to their deaths in the elevator at her apartment, and the next she was in a beautiful star filled meadow by a shinning river with a man claiming to be the god of death? Something wasn't right.  
  
"I know this doesn't seem right, but it is real. I am the shadow-lover." Anne's jaw dropped. She was talking with Shinigami, the god of death. Okay now she knew she had gone off the deep end. "I have taken you here - before you ask, here is the bridge between heaven and earth - to give you a choice."  
  
"A choice? What kind of choice?"  
  
"Wither you live or die."  
  
"But I'm already dead, so isn't this kind of a mute question?"  
  
"You would think so, but no it isn't. I'm going to offer you the chance to live in peace in heaven or to be brought back to life in an alternate reality."  
  
"What kind of alternate reality?"  
  
A new, and familiar voice came from behind Anne. "A reality you are already familiar with."  
  
Anne spun around. There standing behind her, cocky grin and all, was the old woman who had brought in the autographed poster of Exile's Honor! Anne didn't know what to think. First the god of death and now this. Anne's life was suddenly becoming something she didn't recognize. The old woman walked up to Anne and placed her hand on Anne's shoulder. "I know this all must be a bit confusing, dear. We don't mean it to be."  
  
"Need is correct, Anne. I am truly sorry if all of this is a bit much to take in so fast."  
  
Anne's jaw dropped. "Need?!"   
  
"It is a name that I had for a very long time." Need smiled, a broad and friendly grin. "I thought you might recognize it."  
  
"Then...you mean that the reality...no, it couldn't be..."  
  
Death smiled as he spoke. "We would like to give you a chance to live in Valdamar. You deserve a second chance at life, and the powers that be agree."   
  
Anne was overjoyed and dismayed all at once. Valdamar existed and so did the other countries. "I don't want to be a herald." Shinigami and Need smiled at her. The two of them reached for her hands and led her toward the river. In it's waters Anne saw companions field. Death looked at her. He spoke gently, telling her that she didn't have to be a herald, and after she glared at him, he told her she didn't have to be a companion either. He waved his hand and the view in the water changed. Now it was only water.  
  
"Where would you like to be since you don't want to be a herald?" His eyes asked her why she didn't want to be a herald.  
  
In truth she didn't think there was anything wrong with the idea of being a herald. Maybe she would enjoy being one, but she knew herself and right now she just wasn't sure she was herald material. She hated fighting, and was far too passive for her own good. She'd be trampled over by anyone who tried, companion or no there to help her. Besides, could she really open up her heart to someone like that? Knowing what kind of pain could be brought upon her if she left herself that open. She thought about it for a long time. They were offering her a choice, even if, she was sure, there would be a catch. The only place she could think of that she would like to go to was from the end of the current Valdamarian timeline. "I want to go to Errold's grove and the K'Valdamar Vale."  
  
"Very well, but be warned." The shadow-lover looked Anne hard in the eyes. "When you get there it will be in a form you won't recognize."  
  
***  
  
The area around Errold's Grove was quiet. For once everything seemed to be absolutely calm. No evil villains had come in search of scarifies, no warriors of Blood Bear had come storming back out of the north, and no new sicknesses were plaguing the local populace. In other words, it was damn boring. Sighing, Wintersky leaned back on the tree branch. Being a scout was a boring job at the moment. He didn't even need to hunt because the griffons had already brought down more meat than they could all eat, plus the trade of food and surplus had come from the village and Lord Bryon. There was nothing to do. Wintersky had already asked Darian if he would like to hang out with him for a while and maybe just stroll through the forest. That had been futile. Darain was already too busy helping Keisha with her medicine making now that she was pregnant. He had even gone to Skyfire and Featherlight to see if they might be interested in doing anything. He had hoped that they might exchange feathers for the afternoon, or at least play some pranks on the hertasi, Firesong or Starfall. No such luck. The twins had been scheduled to make a trip to K'Vala vale for Starfall.   
  
Wintersky scratched his bondbird's head and looked out at the lands that belong to his people and the new vale. They were beautiful sights. Although many Valdamarians didn't seem to notice or care about the beauty of the forest and it's circle of life. For his people it was something they couldn't not notice. It was a part of them from the time they were born to the time they died. True they moved around quite a bit, but that didn't mean they cared any less for the land that supported them. Below him a doe and her fawn were grazing. Perhaps they hadn't noticed him, or perhaps they simply didn't think him a threat. Whatever the reason, they stayed where they were even as Wintersky dropped to the ground, gracefully landing in a tuck and tumble roll that brought him onto his feet. Wintersky almost wished there had been someone there to see him drop out of the tree, but there wasn't.   
  
Turning away from the ancient tree and the peaceful deer Wintersky made his way deeper into the forest. He strolled along casually remembering events that had taken place in places as he passed. Many of the places made him smile as he remembered the traps he and Darian had laid together on hunting trips; both for the four-legged animals and the two legged. Others brought smiles of a different nature to his face as more pleasant memories were evoked. Soon he found himself heading towards the river, where Snowfire had once brought Darian on a barbarians stolen horse. It was a beautiful river, peaceful even with the soft chime created by its running waters. As he got closer Wintersky noticed something large floating in the river. True the river wasn't normally this deep, but it had rained heavily for a few weeks and now the river was flooded deep enough for a floating body. That's what it was, a body. Wintersky ran the last few yards towards the river. Whoever it was must have been hurt, possibly even dead now.   
  
Wintersky waded deep into the river, until the water was hip deep. A fallen tree branch, keeping it from moving downstream, had caught the body. When he got there Wintersky noticed that the body wasn't human like he had thought. There was some much debris in the water that he had assumed most of what he saw was just that, debris. In truth most of it was feathers! The body belonged to a gryphon. Wintersky sent his bondbird to fetch help as fast as he could. He had to get the gryphon out of the water before it drowned! He pulled on the debris, dislodging several large branches so that he could get to the gryphons head. The gryphon looked pale, feathers plastered to its head with all the water. Its head was dainty and sleek. * Beautiful for a gryphon. It's probably a female, she looks to be smaller than Kel. *   
  
The water rippled and splashed around Wintersky as several other bodies joined him in the water in effort to pull the female griffon lose. They managed to quickly remove the young griffon from the water. Wintersky was very relieved, as were the others. She couldn't be very old, probably a year or two younger than Kel. Her entire body was lithe, like an athlete's. Her claws were more like human hands than most gryphon claws. Overall the effect was exotic. She was the first griffon Wintersky had seen that fit Kel's description of a gyrfalcon breed. The gryphon's eyes blinked open and her break open but no sound came out. Just as quietly she slipped back into unconsciousness.   
  
***  
  
Anne opened her eyes and was blinded. Closing them to block out the light, she groaned. Her whole body ached from head to toes. She was also very cold and wet. She let the darkness surround her, embracing her in its warm embrace. Beyond the darkness of her eyelids she could hear voices. They were talking about her, but she couldn't make out what exactly it was they were saying. Then hands were on her; she could feel a warm cloth rubbing along her body, drying her off. She sighed under her breath and slowly opened her eyes again. There was a small green, lizard-like face inches from her own. The hertasi gasped and was gone almost before Anne could blink. One of the voices from the corner spoke up again.  
  
"Well, welcome back among the living. How do you feel?"  
  
Anne blinked and tried to focus on where the voice came from. A dark shape began to take focus, it looked like a man, at least Anne thought it did. "Wherrre am I?"  
  
"You're in K'Valdamar vale. I am scout Wintersky K'Vala. I found you in the river a few miles from the vale."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Another voice came out of the corner of the room and Anne noticed that there were at least two more men, a woman, and a large shape that had to be a gryphon. "Can you tell ussss what you rrrememberrr?"  
  
Anne closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened. "I rrrememberr I wasss holding RRRamssey and everrrything went darrrk. Then we werrre falling." Anne opened her eyes wide as the image of Need and the Shadow-lover appeared behind her eyelids. "They werrre therrre! They told me I would get anotherrr chance."  
  
Wintersky spoke up again. "Who is Ramsey? We can send out some scouts to go looking for him."  
  
The woman, who was dressed in green now that Anne could really see her, spoke, "Who are 'They' and what do you mean they gave you another chance?"  
  
"RRRamssey is my bossssessss cat. I wasss taking carre of him for herrr." Anne swallowed. How could she explain what the Shadow-lover had done? "They...they werrre the SSShadow-loverrr and Need. That'ssss who they sssaid they werrre, at leasst."  
  
Everyone in the one was speechless for a moment, then they all began to speak at once. Their voices grew louder as they tried to be heard over each other and Anne wanted to cover her ears. They were too loud. Anne gasped as she realized that she could see a pair of wings trying to cover her face. At first she thought it must be the gryphon but it wasn't. She twitched and so did the wings. The shadow-lover's voice echoed in Anne's brain, * When you get there it will be in a form you won't recognize. * Startled by the sudden revelation of what the shadow-lover had meant, Anne sat up. "Oh, sssshit!"  
  
Anne looked around the room, searching for any sign of a mirror or some reflective surface. Her outburst seemed to have startled everyone in the room and they were now staring at her. She practically fell off the bed they had placed her on in her mad scramble for a mirror. She looked around and finally found one sitting on a table near the young woman in green. In a mad rush Anne lunged forward at the mirror. Unfortunately, she was not very sure-footed in her new body and stumbled. Her left wing hit one of the table legs and Anne went sprawling. The young healer yelped as Anne tumbled over top of her.  
  
Anne opened her eyes and stared into the terrified eyes of the healer. She hadn't meant to trip and fall, but she couldn't help it. She just had to know if she had been turned into a gryphon. It would be one thing to come back as a human, but a gryphon? How could she be a gryphon. Keisha moaned as Anne's talons tightened around her arms. "I am ssso sssorrrry."   
  
***  
Keisha clutched her arm to her chest and looked up at the young gryphon. "It's okay. It's nothing more than a scratch." The gryphon looked terrified that she had hurt Keisha. It was an accident, nothing more. * She must be a bit unsteady after being in the river for so long. Poor thing. * "Don't worry really. What made you jump up like that though?"  
  
The griffon bowed her head and actually looked like she was blushing. Strange. "I wanted to ssssee the mirrrrorr."   
  
"Well, you could have asked for it." Keisha couldn't help but to laugh. "You just looked so funny. Like you were trying to pounce on the thing and missed. Just like a grifflet!"  
  
Wintersky, Darian and Starfall had come over to where Keisha and the griffon were on the floor and were now carefully helping her off Keisha. The poor thing really was as clumsy as a grifflet. It was like she had no idea how to move in her own body. Keisha could feel her emotions washing over her like waves. Cresting emotions of shock, embarrassment, fear and so many other emotions that it left Keisha's head spinning. They were going to have to tread carefully with this one until they could figure out what was wrong with her. There was definitely something wrong with her.   
  
  
  
  
1. This is a discription of The Shinigami of the anime Gundam Wing. Also know as Duo Maxwell, the demon of the Maxwell church and pilot of the Gundam Deathscyth Hell. ;) Considering he is the best god of death in anime and the character Anne likes anime I figured why wouldn't death come to her in a form she would recognize?   
  
  
10 


	2. Awakening

Title: Dreams That Can't Be Real  
Part 2: Awakening  
Author: Dreamwind  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for a few, including the main character. I am simply borrowing for my own mindless fun. Please don't sue; I have nothing of any value, so it would be a pointless endeavor.   
Author's Note: This chapter is kind of short, only a few pages long, but it leaves off with a really good cliffhanger ending. Well...it's a good cliffhanger ending for me anyways. The main plot is finally beginning to appear. Sorry it took so long, writer's block sucks. Damn those plot bunnies for abandoning me!  
// text for a book // *thoughts* :: Dreams ::  
It had been a week since Anne had re-awoken as a gryphon in K'Valdamar Vale. Since that day she had been given to rampant denial of what had happened but with a little help from Wintersky she had come to accept what she was. Of course she had never actually told them who she really was or where she was from. All they knew was that she had a "boss" whom they believed was probably a Trond'irin, and that she had lost her boss's cat. Of course she told them that she didn't know how she got here or what her name was, the only thing she knew was that she was supposed to take care of the cat, Ramsey. Needless to say the two residents of K'Valdamar weren't sure at first what to make of her.   
  
Eventually though they had just stopped trying to figure her out and helped her. They had stayed in her room with her and helped her learn to move easily again. Those hours when one of them was with her was the best time she had had since she died. Hell, it was probably the best time she had ever had period. It didn't matter to Anne if deep down they suspected she was hiding something, which undoubtedly they did since she hadn't been allowed out of the room she woke up in. When they were gone Anne found herself left where she had been at home. Alone in the dark, waiting for something to come and get her. This time however, she didn't have the books and her teddy bear to keep her safe. No, this time she was on her own. Waiting for it to get her.   
  
***  
  
A little ways away at the vales council hall, a discussion was taking place. Around the table sat the elders of K'Valdamar vale, along with Lord Bryon, his son Val, and the chief and Shaman from Ghost Cat. It had been a long day of talking back and forth about trade and the new immigrants from the north. Many things had been said and discussed over and above their need. It was as if the council was trying to ignore what was on everyone's mind. Starfall sighed and rubbed his temples. It looked as if he was the one who was going to bring up the subject. He didn't want too. He didn't even see why it seemed to bother so many of the council members. "For new business, although it is hardly new, what does the council want to do with our young gryphon? We cannot keep her cooped up forever."  
  
"Starfall is right." Nightwind stood up and looked at all the people (and non-humans) gathered around the table. "She can't stay in that room forever. It is driving her nuts. She paces the floor for hours even though there is hardly enough room for her to move."  
  
"And what would you suggest we do, Nightwind? Let her out into the vale when we know almost nothing about her?" Asked Hayshi.  
  
"Quite correct. We know only that she is looking for a cat. My lady she won't even tell us her name. She is obviously trying to hide something from us."  
Nightwind shooked her head and spoke slowly. "Lord Bryon, did you ever think that she might be hiding something from us because of the fact that we aren't exactly showing her that we trust her?"  
  
At that many people began talking at once. No one person could be heard over another and so their voices got progressively louder. Nightwind sat back down and rested her head on the table. She kept her eyes closed for a long moment praying to the goddess that sanity would return to her fellow council members. Opening her eyes she saw that Starfall was in the same emotional boat she was. He didn't want the poor thing kept locked up as if she was guilty of something they didn't even know about yet. That was no way to make her feel safe and welcome. Eventually, and after much argument, they decided upon a course of action.  
  
***  
  
Anne stood up and began pacing the confines of the small room the elders of K'Valdamar Vale had politely asked her to stay in. Back and forth, back and forth, Anne paced. Her eyes stayed focused on the floor and the small groove slowly being dug into the earthen floor from all the pacing. Her mind wandered restlessly, moving from one thought to another in the blink of an eye. More and more often she went back to thinking about the cat, Ramsey. He was safe to think about. He wasn't anything more than what he looked like. He wasn't some strange god, spirit or fictional character from a fantasy novel. He was just a cat, just a nice safe cat.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Anne turned around and looked at the woman standing in the doorway. She recognized her from the description in the books, this was Nightwind the vales Trond'irin. (1) This was a kind woman who like Wintersky had been kind enough to spend time with her to pass the long hours.  
  
"I don't mean to disturb you but I thought you might like to get some fresh air. "  
  
Anne ducked her head as she tried to look up at Nightwind, as if she had hair to hide her eyes. "Okay. I can really go outside now?"  
  
Nightwind smiled and laughed. "We can go to the springs and you can bath. After that I would be glad to make sure you are healing well."  
  
"Thank you." Anne smiled shyly and followed Nightwind outside. Plants of all kinds surrounded the path and Anne couldn't stop looking in them, wondering if a hertasai was hiding inside them. Her attention was so focused on finding any of the other non-human inhabitants of the vale that she nearly ran Nightwind over as she came to a stop. Apologizing Anne looked around at the spring. It was a beautiful spot with a large pool of water large enough for several adult gryphons to bath and rest. Currently though, it was empty. Somehow that was very comforting. She may be a gryphon and naked all the time but she still felt a little odd about her natural nakedness. Even though she had feathers it wasn't the same as being a fully clothed human.   
  
Slowly descending into the pool Anne began to bath herself as she had seen the birds bathing in the plastic birdbath outside her apartment building. Anne could hear Nightwind chuckle at her wild splashing. Anne couldn't help but to join her in her laughter. She felt so free, like a little kid again. She was so lost in having fun splashing through all the water that she didn't even notice the arrival of another griffon. Finally she got tired of splashing around and crawled out of the water. Anne stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed the large male griffon sitting on the rock next to Nightwind. He was a magnificent creature and Anne found herself feeling attracted to the clean planes of his beak, the broad sweap of his wings and just the overall feeling of strength he radiated. She was impressed and jealous all at once. She wished deeply that she had the same presence he did. Not the meek little presence she radiated.  
  
"My dear, I would like to introduce you to Kelveren, leader of the silver griffons of K'Valdamar vale."  
  
"Kelverrren?" Anne was more than a little surprised. This was Kel from the novel. Wow.   
  
Kel moved off the rock and stopped a few feet away. "It isss a pleasssurrre to meet you, prrretty grrryphon."  
  
Anne blushed, well she would have blushed if she had still been human. No one had ever called her pretty before. "Hello. It'sss nice to meet you, Kelverrren." Anne looked at the ground and back to Nightwind and Kel. Why was she suddenly feeling so ... so fluttery?  
  
"Well, I was hoping the two of you would get along. You see Kel here is going to help teach you how to fly again."  
  
Anne felt excited. She was going to learn to fly! She was actually going to fly! How cool was that? "RRReally? You'll teach me how to fly?"  
  
"Of courrrssse. What isss a grrryphon that can't fly?"   
  
Anne thought about that one. She really wanted to make a snappy comeback and impress the two. "A house pet?" * Okay, that was lame. Really lame. Way to go, Anne. *  
  
Kel chuckled. "That wasss good. You arrren't ssso ssshy afterrr all?"  
"Oh, I don't know about that." For the next few hours Kel and Nightwind went over the machanics of flying and the techniques Kel would be teaching her later. The day went by and Anne found herself warming to the two. Soon she was considering them to be some of her first friends in the vale along with Wintersky. Actually, they were some of the first friends she had ever had in her entire life. The conversation moved from one topic to the next and soon more of the Hawkbrothers were filtering into the pool for quick swims, or baths, or simply to have a good look at the newest gryphon. Everyone seemed to have something to say and eventually Anne lost track of what they were actually talking about.  
  
***  
  
Somewhere in a place that wasn't a place, in a time that wasn't a time, an evil force gathered itself out of the sleeping darkness. Eyes of yellow opened, shattering the darkness with the light of two dying stars. A pearly-white grin of dagger shaped teeth spread wide the darkness and a force of pure evil awoke. The world that wasn't trembled in its wake. It spoke in a voice unlike any a mortal ear had ever heard. It was a voice as old as time and colder than deepest space. It was a sound so cold it burned. The darkness trembled and cracked. A small shape floated past the creatures burning eyes. Smiling even broader the creature reached out a hand of infinite darkness and grasped the tiny form. Looking down at the body in its palm the creature laughed and the world that wasn't was no more.  
  
  
  
Part 2:  
  
1. Sorry if it's spelled wrong but my spelling in general is lacking.  
2. Oooh...an evil presence. Could this mean a plot twist? Whatever will we do?  
  
1 


	3. Author's Note

Hey everybody! Sorry that I haven't updated sooner. I have been having a terrible case of writers block for some of my stories. Which sucks since I know exactly what I want to happen in later chapters of all of them. Damn the paint fumes for killing my brain cells. Hopefully I will get enough brain cells back to be able to finish some new chapters. Gah! It's so annoying not being able to write something. Anyway, please remain calm and I promise to get some more typed up soon.  
  
Dreamwind 


	4. flight School

Part 3: Flight School  
  
Anne swallowed hard and looked back to Kelveren. He smiled at her and Anne felt a little more courage. She could do this. Kel believed she could and so did Wintersky and Nightwind. In fact all three of them where here cheering her on. Anne looked back to the area in front of her and took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She could feel Kel's presence as he moved up beside her. "Don't worry, little feather, you can do this. It is not hard. Now take a deep breath- yes, that's it- spread your wings and begin flapping them. Yes! Now jump up as hard and high as you can, don't stop beating your wings."  
  
Anne did as Kelveren instructed. She beat her wings as hard as she could and did her best to remember what the birds she had seen looked like when they were flying up from the ground. Okay so this probably wasn't the same as pigeons in the park but it was working! She could tell! She could hear them cheering her and congratulating her. Anne opened her eyes and saw the ground below her and Kelveren flying at her side. This was incredible! She had never been so happy in all of her life. Anne turned back to Kelveren and felt like she was going to cry. He smiled at her and the two of them flew away from the vale. Their path took them through the forest, over the Ghost Cat clan incampment, and the river she had first appeared in. It was there that she saw it. A tiny body, covered in mud, crawling along the bank of the river. Diving down towards the ground, Anne nearly crashed as she chased after the mud-covered animal. Kel called after her truly afraid she would hurt herself. Fortunately, Anne landed safely and even managed to trap the wiggly form.  
  
Anne's eyes widened. She could hardly believe what she saw. "RRRamsssey!!"  
  
Kel landed beside her and looked at the muddy form she clutched carefully in her talons. "That isss the RRRamsssey you werre ssso worrrried about?"  
  
"Yesss."  
  
Kel lifted the dirty cat out of Anne's hands. He turned Ramsey over carefully, examining the strange cat. "I thought catsss werrre sssupposssed to have furrr."  
  
"Not hisss brrreed. Furrr would be pointlessss forrr a cat that wasss brrreed to live in dessserrrt climatesss."  
  
Kel looked at Anne. His expression was strange and Anne suddenly realized that she had just said something she shouldn't have. Kel cocked his head and looked from her to Ramsey. "You arrre a ssstrrrange lady. Firrssst you can't rrrememberrr yourrr own name, then you can't fly and now you have a hairrrlessss cat coverrred in mud who comesss frrrom the dessserrrt."  
  
"Well, technically he isssn't frrrom the dessserrrt."  
  
"You just sssaid he wasss."  
  
"No. I sssaid hisss brrreed wasss frrrom the dessserrrt. RRRamsssey wasss borrrn in a climate much like thisss."  
  
"Oh." Kel handed Ramsey back to Anne. "He needsss a bath."  
  
"Do you want to be the one that trrries to give a cat a bath? I don't. The lassst time I gave him a bath his clawsss got me pretty good."  
  
Kel was quiet for a moment. The he smiled wickedly at Anne. "Assshyen could clean him, no prrroblem."  
  
"You arrre an evil birrrd."  
  
Kel chuckled and launched himself into the air. "Arrre you coming?"  
  
"Yesssss, grrreat one. Hold yourrr featherrrsss."  
  
Anne's second landing was only slightly better than the first. Fortunately for her little bundle, she didn't crash as she thought she would. Landing while carrying a squirming cat was not very easy. Kel kept smiling at her though. He praised her on completing a hard landing. His words left a warmth filling her stomach. It felt nice to hear him say he was proud of her. It felt nice to know she could meet his expectations. Hell, it just felt nice.  
  
* * *  
  
Far away in the mountains north of Errold's grove, the sky erupted in a blaze of black fire. For a brief moment the fire appeared to take on the shape of a serpentine dragon. Out of the dragon came a small golden star. The star fell in a soft arch of golden fire, until it hovered above the ground. The snow melted beneath it and the golden fire disappeared, leaving behind a shivering naked form. The black dragon disappeared and the sky was swallowed back up into the flurries of snow. The shivering form dropped to its knees in the snow and screamed. Its scream was swallowed by the winter winds swiping through the mountains. The screams faded as the young man finally feel into the cold grip of sleep. The snow began to swirl over his unconscious form. All would have been lost if the storm had not pulled another wayward traveler off course as well.  
  
The man was covered from head to toe in animal furs. On his back a beat up, rusty broadsword hung loosely to his shoulders. Snow had begun to cover the fur on the man's head and shoulders. Stopping he leaned his weight on his large wooden walking stick. Breathing deeply, the man paused to take in his surroundings. It took him a moment to recognize the half covered form of the boy from the stars. Walking over to him the man carefully brushed the snow off the boy's unconscious and half frozen body. The man whistled sharply and began to pull the boy out of the snow. It took a while but soon the boys was wrapped in a few of the man's warm furs. A few hours later the man had found them a small cave that was fortunately still dry. The boy's eyes opened briefly and blinked at the mountain man. A small smile tugged at the boy's mouth and for a moment the mountain man thought the boy was going to laugh, but the boy passed out instead.  
  
"Poor stupid kid, what foolishness would cause yah ta walk inta' a storm in da buff?" The mountain man reached his large hand out and gently brushed hair out of the boys closed eyes. "The great spirits must have their reason fer droppin' ya outta the sky like dat. I jus' wish I knew what t'was."  
  
The mountain man stretched and lay back against the rock wall of the cave. Turning his head he looked out at the dark night and the flurry of snow streaming past the cave mouth. It was a hard night out. Closing his eyes he tried to imagine what the great spirits would have needed with making one of their own a mortal man. What could this possibly mean for the people of the land? And why such a dark omen as a black serpent to spit the boy of golden fire to the earth? Sleep claimed the mountain man before the spirits could answer his questions.  
  
TBC..  
  
Author notes:  
  
Sorry that this took so long to get posted. I know that a lot of people were wondering if I had just quit writing it. I almost did but my plot bunnies finally came home and helped me to wrrite some more of the story. Please be patient while I continue to work on this. 


	5. Naming Day

Title: Dreams That Can't Be Real Author: Dreamwind Warnings & Disclaimers: See previous chapters  
  
Pain lanced through his brain. Spasms wracked his body and he cried out like the dead. Everything in his world was frozen ice and flesh. There was nothing but the endless cold and pain. For long moments he tried hard to fight back the pain. Gradually it seemed to recede into the numbness that stretched across him like a warm blanket. Concentrating, he forced his eyes open. Hovering above him was the grizzly face of an old man. His bread was so covered in snow and ice that it nearly hid all the brown that was its natural color. The man's lips moved and slowly he realized that the man was talking to him. He licked his lips with a dry tongue and tried to speak but the man just hushed him.  
  
"Don' be talkin' now. Yous be exhoausted 'nough as t'is." The man carefully pulled him up against his chest. "Yous be cold as ice, lad. Food you'll need."  
  
The boy nodded and let the man pull him against him. The man's chest burnt his flesh like fire and the boy cried out. Struggling to be free of the embrace. Startled the old man released the boy. "Now wha' be da problem, lad? Ya need da warmth. I promis' I won' do nuthin' to ya."  
  
The boy whimpered and huddled in a small ball by the tiny fire. Tears slowly slide down his face as he realized that even the warmth offered by their meager fire scorched his skin. "Hot."  
  
The old man looked sadly at the boy before pulling off a layer of bear fur and spreading it across the boy. The boy's puffy, red eyes looked up at the old man through glittering white hair. The old man smiled and brushed the hair out of the boys face. Standing up the old man went over to the fire where a small black kettle rested just at the edge of the fire. He pulled the kettle further out of the fire and moved to grab a wooden bowl from the floor. Carefully he spooned a thick stew into the bowl and brought it back to the boy.  
  
"Not be the taste tha' be da best, but t'is better than nuthin'." The old man carefully helped the boy sit up and wrapped him back up in the bear fur. Sitting down next to the boy the man carefully tried to feed the boy the stew.  
  
* * *  
  
Anne sighed and closed her eyes. She had been sitting on the same rock for the last three and a half hours. She had been thinking for a long time. She knew she couldn't keep saying that she didn't remember her name. No one would buy it much longer since she kept letting things slip. So she had been sitting here trying to think up a really decent name. Of course none came to mind. Groaning Anne rolled over onto her back. When a sharp pain reminded her that she wasn't human anymore and that wings didn't like being pressed so hard against rocks, she rolled over. Blinking Anne looked up into the smiling face of Wintersky.  
  
"Well, so this is where our beautiful girl has gotten to. Come here often?"  
  
Anne blinked again before it hit her. Wintersky had just used one of the corniest pickup lines in the book. She couldn't help it she just had to laugh. Her stomach muscles cramped with the force of the laughter. "Oh.Winterrrsssky!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That wassss ssso corrrney."  
  
"Corney? I don't get it." Wintersky shook his head and sat down on the ground below Anne and shook his head. "You're a weird bird, pretty feathers. Very weird indeed."  
  
"What isss wrorrng with weirrrd?"  
  
"Nothing, pretty feather, nothing at all." Wintersky smiled. "I like my girls weird. It makes things more 'interesting'." Anne blushed at the implications in Wintersky's words. If only she had been human. "So, pretty feather, you remember who you are yet?"  
  
Anne blinked. She had not expected him to ask that. Had he read her mind? NO! Wintersky wouldn't do that. "I .I think so."  
  
"Good. I can't keep calling you pretty feather, Kel might get jealous." Anne blushed again and was thankful that her feathers hid it. "So tell me this name I have been waiting to hear."  
  
"It'sss.Nysssah. My name isss Nysssah."  
  
* * *  
  
He opened his eyes. Darkness greeted him and for a moment he was scared that somehow he had gone blind. Then he realized that it was only the fur blanket the old man had tossed on him. He shivered as the fear passed away. His movement must have woken the man because the fur blanket was pulled away and the light from the fire greeted his eyes. The old man smiled down at him and pressed his hand to the boys forehead. Whatever he felt there must have been satisfactory because he "hummph'd" to himself and went back to the fire. A rabbit was impaled on a stick over the fire and it brought a richly delicious smell to the boys nose.  
  
"Hungry lad?"  
  
The boy sat up, allowing the fur blanket to slide off his body. For a moment the old man watched him with something he couldn't identify in his eyes. Whatever it was the man pushed away and went back to serving them both breakfast. For a while the boy just watched him hoping he saw what had been in the man's eyes again. He wanted to know what it was he had seen in there. But whatever it was it had disappeared and not returned. The boy shrugged it off and began to eat the chunk of rabbit the man handed to him. They ate together in silence. The wind howled out side but neither noticed. When the rabbit was nothing more than bones the two sat back and relaxed.  
  
"So boy, wha' should I call ya?"  
  
"Call me?"  
  
The man sighed and moved to site closer to the boy. "Yo' name, lad. Wha' be yo' name?"  
  
"My name?" The boy paused and tried to remember. Something tickled at his mind, just out of reach. He knew his name, it was right there on the tip of his tongue. "I think it starts with an A."  
  
"An A? Tha' be a start, I guess." The old man rubbed the boys head and smiled. "Sure ya' canna' remember yo' name?"  
  
The boys eyebrows drew together as he thought harder. The answer was there somewhere, he knew it! It had to be there. Sighing, the boy gave up. The harder he tried to remember it the faster it ran away. "I can't remember."  
  
"Hmm. Then I be given' ya a name." The man pulled at his beard in thought. "I know. I call ya' Winterfall."  
  
"Winterfall."  
  
Sorry it took so long. I got bogged down with homework and midterms. Here is the newest part of the story. I hope you enjoyed it. More to come. I promise. 


	6. Chapter 5: Frozen

Title: Dreams That Can't Be Real

Author: Dreamwind

Warnings & Disclaimers: See previous chapters

Winterfall drifted in and out of sleep. His world was all white, shifting colors only every so often. The wind ruffled his hair and snow landed on his face, sticking to his eyelashes. He looked around again and found that the old man was gone, and he had been abandoned out in the snow. The wind howled louder and Winterfall shuddered. Why had he been left alone? Had he done something to anger the old man? Winterfall pushed himself up out of the snow. Staggering he began to leave the small clearing he had woken up in. He clung to the bearskin blanket as he slowly left. His bare feet sunk deep into the snow, crunching softly under his weight as he moved.

"Where did you go, old man. . . ?"

Winterfall stumbled and clutched a nearby tree branch to keep from falling on his face. Panting, he waited. As his breathing calmed the world began to seem less gray and the nauseating spinning disappeared. Winterfall again began to move. He couldn't stay out here. Hadn't the old man said something about there being dangerous animals in these parts? And surely they must be dangerous to live in such god-forsaken cold. Winterfall shivered. He didn't feel the cold at all, in fact he felt warm as if he was out in a lower climate under the summer sun. Hmmm. I must be getting frostbite or something, he thought.

As Winterfall continued to travel through the forest he began to forget his surroundings. His mind wandered into the void that seemed always at the edge of his thoughts. He became so lost in his thoughts that he never saw the strange block of ice next to the trees. If he had, Winterfall might have stopped to help the old man who had taken care of him. But he never noticed and the old man remained where he was, forever frozen in a solid block of unnatural ice.

Nyssah watched as some of the children from GhostCat Clan chased after Ramsey. The sticky fingered little brats trying to touch him had immediately offended the cat. And so they ended up playing an odd sort of catch, where Ramsy seemed to have become the prize. As another of the children got close to grabbing him, Ramsey let got an angry yowl and swipped his claws at the boy. The boy fell backwards into a puddle of mud as he tried to avoid the sharp claws. The other children laughed, but were not deterred in their own pursuit. Ramsey made one last made dash and dove under Firesong robes, hissing at the children. This caused several of the watching adults to burst out laughing. Firesong simply looked startled for a moment as he looked down at the hairless, hissing cat, hiding between his legs.

"Nyssah would you be a dear and remove your cat from it's current hiding place."

Nyssah chuckled. "Arrre you ssurre you want me rrreaching down there, Firrresssong?"

It seemed to take everyone a moment to process the fact that the normally shy gryphon had actually made a joke. Then they burst out laughing all over again. As Nyssah got up to do as she had been asked, a brave child dashed forward lunging at Firesong's robes. The mage yelped and the child managed to snatch Ramsey out from under Firesong. Nyssah couldn't help it. She began to snicker as she watched the triumphant child dance around holding Ramsey up in the air. That cat was going to wreak some terrible vengeance, she was sure.

Ahhh…..I'm so sorry it took this long to update and this is all there is. I really wanted there to be more but I've been distracted a lot this last year. Please don't give up on me just yet. I will continue to to update my stories, it just might take


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